Clinical trial · Interventional
Using Traditional Acupuncture in the Management of Cancer Treatment Related Lymphoedema
Using Acupuncture and Moxibustion to Promote Wellbeing and Improve Quality of Life for Patients With Upper Body Lymphoedema Secondary to Cancer Treatment
NCT00828516CI-TRIAL-00008965AMWELL-SLcompletedN/AResults postedClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
RATIONALE: Acupuncture and moxibustion may improve well-being and quality of life in patients with lymphedema caused by breast cancer or head, neck, and throat cancer. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well acupuncture given together with moxibustion works in improving well-being and quality of life in patients with breast cancer or head, neck, and throat cancer who are undergoing standard treatment for lymphedema.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | Malignant Breast Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
| Head and Neck Cancer | Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Lymphedema | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture and moxibustion | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Usual treatment plus acupuncture
- description
- Acupuncture and moxibustion, individualised according to participant priorities, delivered once weekly for 7 treatments (Series 1) followed by 6 treatments (Series 2) if participant wishes to continue treatment
- interventionNames
- Other: Acupuncture and moxibustion
Primary outcomes (2)
- measure
- Change From Baseline in Patient-specified and Reported Symptoms on the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP)
- timeFrame
- Before 7th acupuncture treatment
- description
- MYMOP is a questionnaire widely used for evaluating interventions based on holistic and participative principles. It enables respondants to specify and measure the treatment outcomes that are important to them.
- measure
- Change From Baseline in Patient-specified and Reported Symptoms on the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
INCLUSION CRITERIA: * male or female patients with either breast or head and neck cancer * diagnosis of mild to moderate uncomplicated lymphoedema * age 18 or over * under the care of the lymphoedema service for at leas: * two months (head and neck cancer patients) * three months (breast cancer patients) * no active cancer disease * at least 3 months since prior active cancer treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, intravenous treatment) * more than 6 months since prior acupuncture treatment * concurrent adjuvant hormonal therapy allowed * concurrent anti-depressant medication allowed provided there has been no change in prescription or dosing within the past 3 months and patient intends to remain on the medication for the duration of study treatment and follow-up * Able to understand and communicate in English * Able to travel to the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre for treatment * Able to attend treatment once weekly for at least 7 consecutive weeks * Able to complete outcome measures EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * bilateral breast cancer * advanced cancer disease
References
Publications (3)
- BACKGROUNDde Valois B and Peckham R (2011) Treating the person and not the disease: acupuncture in the management of cancer treatment-related lymphoedema. European Journal of Oriental Medicine, 6(6), 37-49.
- RESULTde Valois BA, Young TE, Melsome E. Assessing the feasibility of using acupuncture and moxibustion to improve quality of life for cancer survivors with upper body lymphoedema. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2012 Jul;16(3):301-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2011.07.005. Epub 2011 Sep 13. PMID 21917515
- RESULTde Valois B, Young T, Melsome E (2011) Acupuncture in lymphoedema management: a feasibility study. Journal of Lymphoedema. 6(2) 20-31.